140 Proof, a social stream media platform company, has created a business strategy and technology that tie interest-based keywords and sentiment from social streams with targeted ads. The company worked with the digital agency TargetCast to connect AMC TV brands, such as "The Walking Dead," "Hell on Wheels," and "The Killing," to Twitter and other social media. During the campaigns, both "The Killing" and "Breaking Bad" campaigns achieved click-through rate averages of 0.4%, higher than the Twitter average of 0.2%, and nearly double the average for entertainment-focused campaign. For "The Killing," 140 Proof helped target 18-34 males, outside of the show’s core female 25-to-54 demographic. While the campaign ran, the show experienced a 25% ratings increase among 18- to-34-year-olds. Rather than targeting a demographic, the strategy taps into what Jon Elvekrog, CEO of 140 Proof, calls "interest-based targeting" -- the ability to harness publicly available consumer interest data from various social streams, Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn to Google+, targeting ads to people or groups most likely to respond. This "network of interests" ties 140-character ads to interest graphs or keyword in posts within comments that expand the reach of the ad past friends or followers. The integrated strategy helped achieve a 25% ratings increase for AMC's "The Killing" earlier this year. The goal for "The Walking Dead" was to drive video views and create awareness of the second season by targeting influencers, respondents of previous AMC campaigns, and Twitter users seeing the terms #zombie and #halloween. The call to action was to watch the trailer for "The Walking Dead." It drove more than 52,000 fans to the AMC landing page. Half of these were smartphone users who watched the trailer for "The Walking Dead" in their Twitter app. Evan Rutchik, associate director of interactive client development at TargetCast, AMC's media agency of record, said the campaigns integrated a variety of media, from digital to traditional, such as TV, print and more. "We learned how people share ideas and interests," he said. "In Facebook and Twitter, we see how TV and entertainment becomes interactive between consumers and the star in the shows. For example, I can send a tweet to Ashton Kutcher. He might not reply to me, but I can still send it." The recently announced Twitter partnerships with Mass Relevance and Crimson Hexagon in early November exemplify AMC's strategy. Twitter signed agreements allowing the companies to license and display any of the more than 250 million tweets sent daily from about 100 million users on TV broadcasts. As Google and Bing begin to integrate more social signals into search results, brand marketers will expand targeting options. There are "huge similarities" between search and social ad targeting. Google matches paid-search ads with organic search queries, but 140 Proof's social strategy focuses on the higher parts of the funnel to build demand. Think brand, demand-generation tool. Rutchik said the similarities between paid-search and social campaigns point to the ability to target and deliver a message based on finding specific content tied to keywords. Searches in Twitter and social networks tend to lead to trending information. "There's an integration happening," he said. "Ultimately, there will be one person responsible for both to make one integrated buy."
Chrysler is once again importing Detroit into an NFL ad buy. On Thanksgiving Day, during which the Motor City will host the NFL game between its own Lions and the Green Bay Packers, Chrysler will run a 60-second national TV spot. The ad, like the "Born of Fire" spot that ran during the 2011 Super Bowl, will tap into the Detroit zeitgeist. But instead of using rapper Eminem, the company will use a different poet. The ad featuring the Chrysler 300 sedan will feature a poem by Michigan Poet Laureate Edgar A. Guest, who grew up in Detroit over 100 years ago and was a copy boy at the Detroit Free Press in the 1890s. The campaign, via Portland, Ore-based Wieden+Kennedy, uses the words to Guest’s poem “See It Through,” penned in 1917. The campaign, which has digital and print elements as well, also features Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. As did the "Born of Fire" Super Bowl spot featuring the Chrysler 200, the new ad offers unvarnished shots of metropolitan Detroit urban and rural neighborhoods and the folks who inhabit them. The ad, which keeps the "Imported from Detroit" mantra, is set to Muddy Waters singing “Mannish Boy” with a voiceover reciting Guest’s “See It Through” as a Chrysler 300 drives through various neighborhoods, past the people and faces. Suh is shown standing in front of his Chrysler 300. It ends with “The New Chrysler 300. More Than Just Our Flagship” and an “Imported from Detroit” title card.tv. Although the long-form ad's TV debut is on Fox during the Thanksgiving Day game, the "See It Through" video will run on the USAToday.com home page all week, per the company. On Wednesday, Suh and his 300 sedan will be featured on a USA Today newspaper cover wrap. Then on the Friday, USA Today will run a two-page spread featuring the “See It Through” poem, the 2012 Chrysler 300, and images of the Detroit neighborhoods and people who are in the TV spot. “The ‘Imported from Detroit’ message that hard work pays off has resonated nationwide,” said Saad Chehab, president and CEO of the Chrysler brand, in a statement. He said the original "Born of Fire" spot resonated because it "captures the spirit of the country in addition to the comeback of the Chrysler brand and Chrysler Group." The company indeed seems to be benefitting from its adoption by Fiat S.p.A. Last month, Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 114,512, a 27% increase versus last year, and the best October since 2007. Also, the Chrysler brand, which had a 28% sales increase, saw stronger sales gains than the other three Chrysler Group brands (Jeep, Ram, and Dodge). That is a stark shift in the Chrysler brand's fortunes in previous years, when it had little but the aging 300 sedan, and the Town and Country minivan, which competes in an evaporating segment. Chrysler has had strong sales uptake for the 200 sedan, which saw a 405% gain last month.
Four major countries will see a collective 20% rise in online video revenues this year -- much of this coming from advertising-supported platforms. U.K.-based Futuresource Consulting says revenues from the USA, UK, France and Germany will hit a total of $3 billion this year. Another study says revenues in the U.S. alone were on track to secure around $1.5 billion. In Europe, in particular, catch-up TV services have been the key driver of free online TV and movie growth. Free online TV views are forecast to grow by 36% in 2011 across the four key countries combined.Advertising-funded video is a major contributor, says the study, growing 50% this year. In four years, the entire online video revenues in these four countries could more than double to $6.8 billion by 2015. In total, four countries will amass 770 billion video views in 2011, up from 640 billion in 2010. Over 90% of online videos viewed have been short-form videos. Advertising from short-form content is expected to account for around 60% to 70% of total online video advertising revenues.Although fee-based online sites are growing, the study says they still remain negligible in many markets when compared with free video platforms. Those pay online services are also up against traditional TV platforms: pay TV, free movies and television content. Futuresource says the paid-for segment in Europe will make gains by the launch of a handful of key regional streaming subscription services, similar to Netflix in the U.S. Some of those players will most likely include YouTube, Apple and Netflix, rather than new entrants.
TidalTV hired Michele Skettino to the newly created position of director of communications. Prior to joining TidalTV, Skettino was partner/director of marketing communications at MediaCom.
Despite all the buzz and fanfare for digital advertising and social media, television still dominates the media strategies of big pharma. The massive reach of TV and persuasiveness of sight, sound and motion are part and parcel of the successful marketing of prescription medications like Nexium, Lipitor and Viagra. So, is it realistic for midsize and smaller over-the-counter (OTC) pharma brands to engage TV as a lever without the luxury of big budgets? First, let’s set the record straight about the tube.Is the King Really Dead? While Internet advertising has skyrocketed 5,000% in the past year, it’s a myth that TV is “dead.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, in 2010, TV represented 39% of the $153 billion spent on advertising. 2010 was also a year that saw spot TV spending increase 24.2%, network TV grow 5.3% and cable TV gain 9.8%. The story in OTC drugs is even more pointed. Take pain remedies, for example. Of the $254 million in media spending last year, 87% was invested in television (primarily network TV). Thus, rumors of the King’s demise can be dismissed, at least for now. Can I Play? At our company, we face this reality every day on smaller brands, ranging from upset stomach remedies to skin care and menstrual bloating medications. These brands can’t afford to spend their way to success. We have to be smarter, more nimble, more resourceful and more creative if we want to find a way to advertise on this stage. Is it possible? It is. But it’s not easy. It starts with TV sales rep relationships that span decades. These relationships are built on trust, understanding and empathy for the client and its challenges. Another part of the mix is creative negotiating. Finally, we find that getting in on the ground floor of newer, smaller networks puts us in a unique position to achieve lower rates and exceptional efficiencies. We capitalize on “introductory pricing,” while late adaptors pay the price of standing on the sidelines. However, it’s not all about price. The most efficient media buy is a waste of money if we aren’t reaching the right prospect at the right time in the right place. At our firm, we call it “aperture.” It’s the concept that we need to reach prospects at a moment in time when they are “open to buy.” A prime example of this is in the menstrual diuretic category. There’s no time of year when women are more sensitive about menstrual bloating than during swimsuit season. And there is no time more precious than the few warm weather days of summer when the beach is her destination. Consequently, we concentrate our TV spending on Fridays leading into the weekend, so we can reach women when their aperture is wide open. We couple these kinds of insights with the very best syndicated data in the business. We invest heavily in GFK research and its nationally representative annual study of more than 28,000 American consumers. We glean insights from these data that allow us to pinpoint target demographics, product usage, psychographics, attitudes and beliefs. Vertical or Horizontal Diversification is crucial when making a small budget look gigantic. Like any great investment strategy, a well-balanced portfolio enhances our likelihood of long-term growth and success. Television networks are classified as either “vertical” or “horizontal.” A “vertical” network typically delivers a homogenous audience. Some familiar examples are MTV and Bravo. Other networks are classified as “horizontal,” where the programming is different depending on the time of day. On a network such as TBS or TNT, viewers vacillate by program, time of day and day of week. Going vertical or horizontal at any given time is fundamental to success. Look Like a Big Spender When it comes to media-buying for pharma products with limited budgets, it is not only the commercial production team that gets to be creative. These strategies have proven to be so successful for our clients year-over-year that we see our spending budgets increase annually due to direct success with television campaigns. Creativity, application and impeccable timing can help you take small change and look like a million dollars.
I’m not sure when it happened, but some time when I wasn’t paying attention, video on demand (VOD) emerged as a legitimate option for timeshifting. I’d been using VOD to watch the occasional pay-per-view movie when I was feeling flush, but given how much media attention is paid to the other timeshifting platforms, it didn’t occur to me until very recently to tune to VOD for regular free TV. Of course, the best way to timeshift remains the DVR, where you can record anything and play it back as soon as you want (assuming you remember to record the program in the first place). Then there’s online timeshifting -- watching shows over the Internet on network websites, Hulu or Apps -- which can be a convenient option if you like watching television on computers, laptops and tablets. And of course there’s Netflix and other services that can stream directly to the TV but that don’t have a lot of content. Then there’s VOD -- the original timeshifting option, which seems to be making a renewed run at relevancy. I’m in a Cablevision home and was surprised to discover that I have access to a lot of free VOD I would actually watch. Some of the networks that offer recent programming are: ABC, Fox, NBC, AMC , Comedy Central , MTV, and TBS. Which means that some of my favorite shows are available: “Glee,” “The New Girl,” “The Office,” Mad Men, The Daily Show, “The Jersey Shore” and “Conan.” The advantages of VOD timeshifting are obvious. Unlike DVR, for which there is an extra fee (and which is subsequently available in fewer than half of TV homes) any TV with a cable box can get VOD for no extra charge, which makes it available in more than 100 million homes. And unlike computer-based timeshifting, you can watch VOD on your regular television, big screen and all, in the comfort of your living room. Where VOD comes up short is in the lack of a consistent go-to-market strategy. VOD is a continuously changing service, with advertisers, networks and advertisers testing a variety of business models. Consequently, a few shows are available immediately after airing, while others aren’t on for three or four days after airing -- or even for several weeks. And depending on the MSO, many shows and major networks aren’t available at all. To make it even more complicated, some VOD offerings have no ads, some have the same ads they appeared with on TV, and others have different ad loads altogether. Further some have ads you can skip through, while others don’t allow fast-forwarding. This free-for-all means that consumers who want to watch TV on VOD have to look at each available network by each available show to see when and how they can watch their favorite programs. That can be a lot of work. The renewed interest in VOD comes along at a time when the concept of appointment television is evolving. It used to be that viewers would make sure they were on the couch when their favorite programs aired, but because of DVRs, Hulu and Netflix, these same viewers now expect to watch a program on their own schedule. Which is why the time is ripe for a rebirth of VOD, assuming enough content is offered on a regular basis. It seems to me that the TV industry is missing the boat by not including more shows on VOD, not making them available the day after they air, and not promoting them more. If I ran a network, I would rather have my show seen on VOD with the regular commercials intact than on Hulu, where it would have a different commercial run, or even on DVR, where viewers can fast-forward through the ads. The reason VOD makes good business sense is that if a program is on VOD with the original commercials and is seen within three days of the original broadcast, it will receive credit under Nielsen’s C3 ratings. C3, of course, is a measure of how many people watch a show’s commercials and is the primary metric networks use to get compensated by advertisers. But hardly any networks or MSOs use VOD this way. Instead, they seem to go out of their way to avoid getting C3 credit by not making their shows available for at least three or four days after they air -- and then in many cases stripping out the commercials or substituting different ads. For its part, Nielsen has proposed new rules that would make VOD an even more attractive option for content providers. In a recent series of client meetings, Nielsen laid out an “On Demand C3” option, under which C3 credit would be given to commercials viewed in any program in a particular series – as long as those ads were the same ones that were shown in the most recent episode of the series. In other words, VOD viewing of an episode of “Glee” that aired in September could receive C3 credit if it contained the same commercial load as the episode of “Glee” that most recently aired. This new measurement may or may not jumpstart VOD as a major timeshifting platform, but at the very least it would make abundantly clear that the crucial TV measurement is not how many people watch a show, which has been the case since the dawn of television -- but how many people watch the commercials. This has been more or less the case since Nielsen introduced C3 ratings several years ago, but until now, the commercial had to be tied to the show. On Demand C3 would untether commercial ratings from program ratings once and for all. Once this principle is established, the door could be opened for even more dramatic changes in the future.